Berkshire Recorder Consort

Contra Bass in F

Although we don't have one (still waiting for the lottery win!), the Contra Bass will descend another five notes beneath the great bass, to F. Being 6 feet tall, players usually stand to play the contrabass (although they can sit with the folded box-section instruments) As with the Great Bass, the Contrabass has a noticeable delay between blowing and speaking which the player needs to take account for, along with a definite requirement for more air. As with the other Bass instruments keywork is essential on this large instrument.

Great Bass in C

This recorder is one octave lower than the tenor, so its lowest note is C below middle C. Due to its size there is a noticeable delay between blowing and the recorder speaking, although not as pronounced as on the Contrabass, players still have to allow for this by playing slightly ahead of the beat. Like the Bass in F, it always has some keywork to assist fingering.

Bass in F

This instrument is one octave lower than the treble and its lowest note, therefore, is the F below middle C on the piano. It is the most powerful of all the Bass instruments, and is the highest pitched recorder playing from the bass clef. It includes some keywork to help fingering the increasingly large distances between holes.

Tenor in C

This is one octave lower than the descant and so its lowest note is middle C. It has lovely rich, mellow tones and can happily be a solo instrument. It can have several keys to help play the lowest notes.

Treble (Alto) in F

This recorder is often used as a solo instrument. The lowest note of the treble is the F above middle C, its range the same as the descant. It is the biggest instrument not to commonly require any keywork on the body.

Soprano (Descant) in C

The descant is the most well-known recorder, and is the one most often used to teach children. The lowest note of the descant recorder, that is the note played when all the holes are covered, is the C above the middle C on the piano. The range is two and a half octaves.

Sopranino in F

The lowest note, that is the note played when all the holes are covered, is the F an octave above the middle C on the piano. The range is two and a half octaves and is commonly used to add brilliance to the overall sound.

Garklein-Flötlein in C

The smallest recorder with the longest name. The lowest note, that is the note played when all the holes are covered, is the C two octaves above the middle C on the piano. The range is two octaves but at the extreme it’s uncomfortable on the eardrums of anyone standing close to you… Its best used for solos or 'decoration' in full orchestration. This recorder has a very prominent sound. As you can imagine, some peoples' hands and fingers are just too big to easily play this tiny instrument!